Lagavulin 16 Year Old is truly a benchmark Islay whisky. It’s loved for its deep, earthy, and maritime character with rich notes of dried fruit, vanilla, and smokiness that comes from Islay peat but is more akin to Lapsang Souchong tea in profile.
Before Lagavulin 16, the distillery did have a 12-year-old single malt. But when Diageo launched the Classic Malt series in the 1980s, Lagavulin 16 Year Old was introduced and became the distillery's flagship bottling. It received a boost in popularity after featuring in Parks and Recreation as a favourite drink of Nick Offerman’s character Ron Swanson. Offerman has since collaborated with the distillery on several occasions.
If you're looking for a food pairing for this beauty, try intensely flavoured salty blue cheeses, which complement the intense, peat-rich, sweet and salty character of this Lagavulin wonderfully.
More like Lapsang Souchong tea than Lapsang Souchong! One of the smokiest noses from Islay. It's big, very, very concentrated, and redolent of iodine, sweet spices, good, mature Sherry and creamy vanilla. Stunning.
Very thick and rich. A massive mouthful of malt and Sherry with good fruity sweetness, but also a wonderful sweetness. Big, powerful peat and oak.
Long, spicy finish, figs, dates, peat smoke, vanilla.
Ive tried many a peated expression, and I love many of them. I thoroughly dislike Lagavulin. I feel like it has similar characteristics so other peated whiskies except it turns those positives to negatives. Iodine, but bitter and unpleasant; smoke, but quickly fades and lacks balance; liquorice aftertaste, just no. I realise I'm in the minority but I've been deeply unimpressed by this whisky I have heard so much about, and can think of many other peated expressions I'd reach for first. Perhaps I has a bad bottle? But I tasted nothing to make me come back for more.
This is all you really need, forget the rest
My daughter gave me a bottle Lagavulin 16 year old for my birthday,she knows I like a dram on the odd evening. I have enjoyed other peat whiskys on occasion, but this 16year old is the best peaty whisky I have tasted. On opening the bottle, a very pleasant peat aroma with a hint vanilla. The initial taste is peaty but not unpleasant, rather warming, sweet and smooth, the taste hangs to the palate, there is a hint of salted caramel and fruit, peaty oak, all in all a truly sophisticated whisky. In truth the best of the best, some people say some there is no bad whisky's only some better than others...this is one of the best... I will always have a bottle of Lagavulin 16 year old now.. Many thank's Sarah-Jane...x
Always a go to dram at my well stocked bar. Rarely disappoints with it's intense and complex nose and palete. Smokey and sweet with hints of mint in the finish. Delicious and reasonably priced for a 16 year old whisky.
Lagavulin 16 used to be one of my desert island top 5 whiskies. However, I haven't had it for a while and the bottle I opened last evening left me feeling rather disappointed: never mind desert island - I wouldn't even take it on a day trip to Bute. Admittedly, recently I've been spending more time with 46% and cask strength ncf Campbeltown whiskies and Carn Mor editions so, perhaps, the Lagavulin seemed a bit tame by comparison but the peat and sea spray attack seemed rather muted and the salty dryness in the finish wasn't as expected. Don't get me wrong, this is still a very good dram and at under £50 better value that several other 15/16 year old malts but maybe it's being left behind a bit in its 43% and chill-filtered state.
